Friday, October 10, 2014

The Final Five

We've walked about 1100 miles in 5 months and only 500 miles remain between the Bay Area and San Diego the finish line.

Cell Phone Hell

This is the place that we've been consigned to for the better part of 3 months and 600 miles.

First my apologies to all of you. I thought I'd done sufficient due diligence on this west coast walk especially as it pertained to cell coverage. I surveyed the ATT coverage map & thought we're all good.

Bollocks... I might as well have been carrying a pocketful of sand in my kilt rather than my iPhone because it's been almost as useless. We finally made it to the Bay Area but what got lost is months of photos, stories, and video sharing. Never mind the fact it put us at serious risk - there were times I had to ask strangers to contact our team to let them know we were safe.

I'd like to say we're thru it but of that I am unsure. The coastal mountain range hasn't left us or rather we haven't reached its tail end; Santa Barbara, they say, is where the state flattens out but that's still 300 miles away.

And forget about Wifi - the drive thru coastal motels we stay at from time to time may as well be using 128k dial up. I guess I'm past the point of kvetching but you've missed a third of the walk and for that I'm deeply disappointed.

In silence still we walked on.

The Bay Area

There's still 500 miles of PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and lots ahead and little time for reflection now. I've been to San Francisco before to walk the final mile with our good friend John Stalls and it's bittersweet to return. For new folks to this story it was when and where Murphy's nose began bleeding again and my descent into doubt that the radiation shrank his nasal tumor.

But I said my goodbye to him on the Golden Gate Bridge and like that iconic symbol of this state, the fog lets go of its fleeting grasp and and the sun shines through.

The City of Skinny Jeans

Indeed I've made many new observations and that's the first. Clearly I'm not making any fashion statements with beaded braids, pleated skirt, and giant wooden staff but most nearly everyone here is sportin them and I didn't want to be the bearer of bad news that they're about as sexy as bell bottoms.

........

One final thought before we get back on the road and grind out the final 500 in 60 days... When we reach the Mexico border the total distance I will have walked combined with the 1st, 1/6th the circumference of the earth for this cause. Put that in a pipe a smoke it.